Members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) Clarence Valley branch are calling on residents across Grafton, Maclean and the surrounding areas to support their campaign for mandated nurse-to-patient ratios in local public hospitals.

NSWNMA Clarence Valley branch President, Remana Harris, said members were calling on the Liberal-Nationals government, and all local candidates in this month’s state election, to commit to minimum nurse-to-patient ratios and enforce them in law..

“We are urgently seeking a more reliable, transparent staffing system that will guarantee minimum nurse-to-patient ratios on every shift, in every ward, and create a safer environment for our patients,” Ms Harris said.

“The current system is flawed, with nursing care averaged out over an entire week. There’s no consistency for patients in the level of care they might get.

“Queensland and Victorian public hospitals enjoy the benefits of nurse-to-patient ratios. NSW does not. Why should patients throughout the Clarence Valley miss out?”

To date, NSW Labor has announced a costed policy for mandated minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. If elected on March 23, Labor’s commitment would deliver a specific 1:3 ratio into the emergency departments of Grafton and Maclean hospitals. As well as a staffing ratio of 1:4 their general medical and surgical wards.

The Liberal-Nationals government refuses to support nurse-to-patient ratios, opting instead to announce 282 extra nurses and midwives for the entire Northern NSW Local Health District. That equates to just five extra nurses and midwives a year across the Local Health District’s 14 public hospitals over the next four years, if they are returned to government.